


Bud's Four Realizations

by Beavi



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Adventure Zone: Graduation
Genre: Bud POV, Gen, One Shot, Taz Graduation, The Adventure Zone - Graduation, as he comes to terms with these fools that he's been bunked with, just something short and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 03:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21487246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beavi/pseuds/Beavi
Summary: There are four main things that he learns of his new “roommates” in the first few days of knowing them.
Comments: 26
Kudos: 308





	Bud's Four Realizations

These two are odd, he thinks at their first meeting.

But he supposes they feel the same of him.

They give him curious looks when he offers to sleep on the floor.

They do not understand Firbolgs. He cannot say he knows much of their species either, so it is mutual.

The half-elf is proud and sparkly, clean in a way that seems almost impractical. He speaks with an arrogant confidence, interrupted only by his own blunders.

This one is happy to speak on his behalf, which he does not mind.

The second’s skin is closer to his own tone, but that is where the similarities end. A lithe figure and a carefully styled moustache are stark differences. The genasi is friendly, he notices, despite the odd obsession with citrus.

The beds in their room look both plush and stiff in the worst ways. They are nothing more than a commodity; there to meet the minimum needs of the prospecting sidekicks, and yet the touch of the scratchy fabric on them is almost repulsive.

The first night is the hardest. The wood of the floor is cool but unrelenting. The air is stale and lacks the comforting scent of moss and soil.

As he struggles to rest, he finds he must squeeze his eyes shut. Even in the pale moonlight, he can see the artificial dye colouring the grain. It is just another glaring reminder that he is far from a place he can no longer call home.

He can hear the other two, both with curious names he has yet to commit to memory, as they too struggle to find comfort in their new residence.

It is the first common ground he finds between the three of them.

The second observation he makes, not too long after the first, is that these two are _loud_.

The pompous one – Maple something? He does not understand what relation he has with the tree – has a long-winded habit to him. The half-elf’s eyes had searched the room for every offence he could find, being sure to air his grievances to anyone within earshot.

The roguish one was just as talkative, but in a worse way.

Once the three had settled into what comfort they could find in the room, he was afforded mere moments of silence before that moustached face popped up and began a barrage of questions, attempting "small talk." Trying to “get to know him.”

He supposed that may be commonplace for those not of the forest, but that did not mean he had to like it.

They ask for a name, which he does not have. He has no use for such things, but apparently the two of them do. They are insistent, tossing suggestions back and forth before settling on a name as strange and ill-fitting as their own.

“Bud.”

The thought almost bubbles a laugh in his chest. He has lived many seasons, he has grown. He is no bud.

Yet the name seems to stick, albeit tentatively, as the two see if they can think of something else they prefer.

It is only when he is granted temporary reprieve of their presence, going around to the stables by himself, that he finds some peace.

He finds great sympathy for the orphaned pegasus there. He, too, has wound up alone, surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place.

There, away from the other two, he finds himself speaking comforting words. They soothe the youngling, but he is speaking as much to himself as he is to them.

“We will both eat our berries and be quiet, huh?”

He runs a soothing hand over their mane, indulging in the calm moment, something he expects will be rare in the coming years.

“I think sometimes they forget how to be quiet.”

His third finding, much to his surprise, is that they are funny.

He knew that he should have held some caution coming to this unfamiliar place, but it is with surprising ease that he finds himself settling into a rhythm with the other two. They bring him along and refer to him as “friend.” While they do not understand him, they make strides to be accommodating, and they do not judge.

The startling cries of “Gary, help!” no longer irritate him. Instead, he feels this corners of his mouth twitch upwards, especially when the circumstances are particularly outrageous.

When he decides not to try and understand the half-elf’s peculiar behaviour, he instead sees how amusing it can be. Such a figure who holds his nose high and yet cannot resist his petty urges is rather fun to watch.

It is not long before he is jesting along with them.

He cannot resist poking fun at the Maple one about his knowledge, or lack thereof, of spells and cantrips.

He laughs quietly to himself at the helpless look the blue one gives him when he makes a joke about the (definitely reasonable) illusive cat figure.

The eccentric duo have brought an unexpected joy along with them. To his own disbelief, he begins to like their company.

He still takes whatever opportunities he can to run off and have some solitary peace, but he is not seeking escape.

Merely balance.

It is on the outskirts of the Unknown Forest that he reaches his fourth conclusion.

The two others are knocked back, paralyzed with fear.

He hears the warning, and delivers it to them.

He anticipates resistance, that he will have to stand his ground. He braces himself to argue this, steeling his resolve to not let them endanger themselves.

The two of them look at him.

And rather than protest or try to push past him to continue their attempt of this meaningless trial, they trust him.

They take him at his word with a nod, and turn back.

He stands there, slightly shocked, before he shakes himself out of it and follows his roommates back to safety.

When it mattered, they had been quiet. They had listened.

They trusted their "Bud."

He realizes then, something has changed. He would not have expected this to happen, ever, when he had first met the two, yet the conclusion is obvious to him now.

They are his friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe this school, will not be as hard as he had once thought.
> 
> Or, at least, that's what he told himself... until accounting class.
> 
> (As a business major who was forced to take 2 years of accounting despite hating it and it not even being remotely related to my field, Bud has officially become the most relatable character for me)


End file.
